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There are about 12,000 homeless people in São Paulo; most live off begging for money and food in the downtown area of São Paulo according to statistics by the Secretary of Social Assistance of Sao Paulo. The east side of Sao Paulo’s 3.3 million population mostly consists of migrants from Brazil’s poorer north-eastern states. Cities Without Hunger is a Non-Governmental Organization that has introduced an alternative to social security food baskets by mobilizing the community to participate in the production of food in disadvantaged communities with high population density, in order to improve the situation of those groups at risk. The objective of Cities Without Hunger project was to make use of vacant public and private land for the development of vegetable gardens. The programme set up income-generating community gardens, fostered nutrition education to tackle malnutrition, introduced environmental and sanitary education within the local context and set up small processing units for harvested produce. Cidades Sem Fome uses a participatory community education method which has trained community members in technical as well as leadership skills. Through the programmes, provide needy communities are provided resources for professional training and income generation through the marketing of products obtained from participants’ farming projects. Another objective of the programme is to combat malnutrition and improve quality of life of the communities by facilitating access to safe and nutritious food and improving the physical environment of the community. The programme aims at providing alternatives for the economic development while minimizing the negative social, health, and environmental conditions. The Cities Without Hunger-Community Garden project formed a committee to select families who would participate in agricultural activities and also coordinate the implementation of work plans by urban farmers. The beneficiaries learned to recognize themselves as active players in urban governance and the quest to improve the quality of their lives. The project managed to combat malnutrition in communities through access to healthy and nutritional foods, in addition to promoting environmental sustainability in the cultivation areas. This programme has managed to provide poor communities with work opportunities, professional capacity building and improved incomes.

Organização Cidades Sem Fome – Cities Without Hunger
Postal Code 08381-110, São Paulo, Brazil Rua Ribeiro Baião, 111 – Jardim Laranjeiras
cidadessemfome@uol.com.br
55 11 2735-4842 / 55 11 9820-5784